Colorado State was a showcase of Ole Miss’ potential balance and depth. Next is Oral Roberts.
Ole Miss basketball’s first-half performance against Colorado State provided a glimpse of the potential of the 2024-25 Rebels.
The Rebels led by as many as 24 points in the game and never trailed. They eventually came away with a 84-69 win, their fourth of the young season. They shot a season-high 51 percent from the field.
But in the first half alone Ole Miss raced out to a 25-10 lead and shot 60 percent from the field. Eight different Rebels scored, including nine apiece from Malik Dia and Mikeal Brown-Jones.
“As a coach, you’re always striving for 40 minutes of play,” second-year Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said afterwards. “The reality of it is that’s what you have to have once you start getting into conference play. In our league you can play really well for 35 minutes; that’s not going to get it done. Certainly when you get to the NCAA Tournament you’re trying to play your best for 40. Doesn’t mean you’re going to make every shot. Doesn’t mean you’re not going to make a mistake here and there.”
Ole Miss (4-0) rosters 10 seniors and returns the fourth-highest minutes-per-game average (284.3) of all Power 5 teams. The Rebels lead the SEC. However, most are new.
Ole Miss is one of just 18 teams nationally with five or more players in their fifth year of college basketball.
Dia and Brown-Jones are two of the off-season transfer additions.
Fifth-year senior guard Matthew Murrell is one of six returners from last season. The Rebels won 20 games for the first time since 2018-19. Ole Miss brought in six total transfers in a portal class ranked No. 16 in the country by On3.
Sean Pedulla came over from Virginia Tech, where he played in 100 games and scored over 1,200 points. But Ole Miss also grabbed Ja’Von Benson (Hampton), Davon Barnes (Sam Houston State), Dre Davis (Seton Hall), Dia (Belmont) and Brown-Jones (UNC-Greensboro).
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The CSU first half was a blueprint, of sorts, for a team with NCAA Tournament aspirations. Ole Miss has been there just nine times in its 100-plus-year history.
The transfers, in particular, were signed in an effort to snap the five-season March Madness drought. Ole Miss is well on its way if it plays plays anywhere close to its first-20 potential from Monday.
Up next is Oral Roberts (2-3) Thursday at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.
“(Against Colorado State) offensively a lot of things to build on,” Beard said. “We’re always searching for that 50 percent shooting, 40 percent three, 80 percent free throw. We got it done in two out of the three. Had some really good free-throw shooters on our team miss some free throws. We get double-digit scoring from five or six guys. That’s the balance we’re looking for.
“If we hit a couple more free throws we score 90-something points against Colorado State. Four turnovers in a college basketball game is very hard to do. Had some special performances.”
